© Idōkan Poland Association “IDO MOVEMENT FOR CULTURE. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology”, Vol. 19, no. 1 (2019), pp. 9–19 DOI: 10.14589/ido.19.1.2 AESTHETICS Emeka Aniago Department of Theatre & Film Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (Nigeria)
[email protected];
[email protected] ORCID id 0000-0003-3194-1463 Thick Description of Social Functions of Selected African Flogging-Bouts as Theatrical Entertainment and Self-Defence Martial Arts Submission: 31.03.2018; acceptance: 26.07.2018 Key words: flogging-duel, flogging-meet, ipia-agba, sagine, social functions, soro, stick-fight Abstract Background and Aim. This study critically examines the culture specific social functions and performance realities of some flog- ging-meets that existed or exists in regions of Africa. Thus, this study applies Aniago’s Theory of Vicious Performance and Geertz’s Thick Description of culture and interpretive contextualization as the preferred conceptual and analytical approaches. More so, this study examines some of the descriptions which authors variously apply in referring to flogging-meets, in a bid to rationalize on the sociological imagination attributable to such classifications. Furthermore, this study discusses the similarities and dissimi- larities in social functions, performance and production processes, participants’ compositions, paraphernalia of performance and rules of engagement of the flogging-meets. Method. This study applies a mixed methods research technique, which in line with Johnson R. B., et al, is the research approach whereby a researcher or team of researchers combine elements of qualitative and quantitative research techniques in the areas of data collection and analyses, for the broad purposes of breadth and depth of understanding.